The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), an agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation, has awarded $5 million to 42 American Indian and Alaska Native tribes to support projects that are designed to improve transit operations.
This initiative – the FTA's Tribal Transit Program – is wide in its scope, in terms of the types of projects it covers. But the new round of investment also earmarks funds for alternative fuel vehicles and refueling infrastructure on rural tribal lands.
For instance, the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma will receive more than $250,000 to acquire equipment for a ‘Flexible Fuel Vehicle Maintenance Facility.’ The facility, which will serve the Northeast Oklahoma Tribal Transit and Pelivan Transit fleets, will offer service and maintenance on gasoline/diesel vehicles and compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles. The Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma will also attain funding – $300,000 – to purchase five 20-passenger transit buses that run on CNG.
The full list of projects receiving funding is available here.
